ALL NOVEL S2E39 – Farmstead
During my run in with those walkers, I didn’t really run in a straight line. Because of that, I’m currently lost. I should be good, but I could end up completely lost. I continue walking through the woods, going straight back where I came from. At the very least, that’s the only part of the woods that I know.
After walking a good five minutes, I realize that I’m completely lost. There’s no highway this way, just more trees and stuff.
“Dammit… Alright then.”
I take my radio out of my backpack and turn it on, before pressing down the button that lets me speak,
“Hey, this is Penny, can you guys hear me?”
I hear someone speak on the other side,
“Yeah, we got you. This is Shane.”
I run the back of my head and continue speaking,
“Well, uh… I’m lost. When I led those walkers off, I apparently didn’t take a straight path, so I’m about as lost as a kid in a clothing store.”
He responds,
“Uh. Alright… Uhm… I would say to fire your gun and we’d come find you but that ain’t exactly an option right now…”
As I continue walking, I find a clearing up ahead,
“Ah, I’m coming up on a clearing. Let me see-“
*BANG!*
I feel a pinprick suddenly, and then heat coming from my stomach. My mind begins to go blank as I reach down to touch the area. I lift my hand back up, finding it to be covered in blood. I start to come back to reality, hearing Shane yelling into the radio,
“PENNY! HEY! PENNY!”
I stumble backwards and collapse to the ground as my legs give out. I draw my revolver and hold it up for a second before I lose strength in my arm. I speak into the radio feeling myself losing strength quickly.
“Fuck. I just got shot. Ugh.”
I slowly drag myself back, watching as blood starts to drip out onto the floor. I manage to crawl behind a tree and chuckle,
“Heh… Damn… I liked this shirt, too.”
I hear footsteps coming from behind the tree and hold up my revolver as I do, time begins to slow around me,
[Revolver Drawn. Dead Eye Activated.]
I hold the gun towards where they’re coming from and keep my eyes trained on it. As they round the tree, I’m faced with someone who is… Familiar…
His bald head, big belly, and camo combo signifies that he is the first character Shane ever killed. Otis. I put down my revolver as my strength leaves my body. He looks incredibly stressed out, not saying a word and just staring at my bleeding stomach. I chuckle and speak to him,
“Hell of a shot.”
This shocks him back to reality as he starts speaking,
“Shit… Uh. Uhm. C-Can you walk?”
I nod my head,
“If you can help me up, yeah.”
He nods his head and takes my hand, helping me up to my feet and putting my arm around his shoulder. He speaks to me in a panicked tone,
“I-I’m so sorry! I thought you were a deer!”
I speak to him with confusion,
“How do you mix up a talking human woman and a deer? Do I have antlers growing out of my skull?”
He shakes his head as we reach the clearing,
“N-no! You were just barely behind a bush, so all I saw was your hair. From a distance, it looked like a deer. And I have bad ears. I can only really hear people near me.”
I nod my head as I see Hershel’s farm. Otis speaks to me as it comes into vision,
“Hershel will be able to help you. He’s dealt with this sort of thing before. But… Never on humans…”
I hear my radio chattering, so I take it out, hearing Amy on the other side,
“PENNY! PENNY ANSWER US!”
I bring the radio up to my mouth,
“Hey, so, I got shot by a hunter who mistook my red hair for a deer. I’m hit in the stomach, but he’s bringing me to a man named Hershel who was a vet before everything happened. He’s dealt with things that’ve been shot before, so he’s gonna help me. I’ll see if someone can get you guys and bring you here.”
Instead of Amy, Shane answers,
“So, how bad is it?”
I think for a second and decide to lie to them. Don’t want them freaking out. I take a second to breathe and say,
“It’s not too bad. Once I get patched up I should be good to go. Just keep an eye out for any more herds. And this time, leave the kids in the RV. I don’t even wanna think about what could’ve happened if I hadn’t gotten out before Sophia.”
Shane stops speaking for a second as I see Hershel and his family coming out to see us. The radio picks back up,
“Alright I gotcha. We’ll be here.”
I speak to Otis as we reach the gate leading to Hershel’s house,
“My group’s out on the highway. We were headed west when we got trapped by a wandering herd of walkers. They’re good people, and they have a ton of medical supplies.”
He nods his head and says,
“Yeah, I’ll get them, don’t worry.”
I nod my head and start to collapse. I start to get cold as I look down at my stomach. My shirt and pants are completely soaked in blood, making them stick uncomfortably to my skin. I lose the strength in my legs and fall down, even with Otis holding me up.
Hershel finally gets to us as Beth’s boyfriend comes to hood me up with Otis. Otis speaks to Hershel in a slight panic,
“When I was out hunting, I accidentally shot her. She looked like a deer from how far away I was!”
Hershel nods his head and says,
“C’mon, bring her inside. Maggie, go in and strip the sheets off the bed downstairs. Beth, go with Patricia and get my gear. Otis, Jimmy, follow me.”
They nod their heads as Hershel follows behind Maggie. We get to the steps leading up, which I try to walk up, but can’t really gather enough strength. Luckily the two combined are able to make up for this. As we get inside, Maggie quickly strips the blankets off, leaving just the mattress and the sheet covering it. The two turn and let me sit with a bit of difficulty. Hershel speaks to me,
“Alright. Miss?”
I answer, slightly groggily,
“Penny.”
He nods his head,
“Miss Penny. My name is Hershel. How are you feeling right now?”
I blink and answer slowly,
“Cold… And tired…”
He nods his head,
“You’ve lost a lot of blood. You need to stay awake, okay? Do you know your blood type?”
I nod my head,
“Lucky me… A-positive.”
He nods his head as Otis speaks up,
“She was with a group who were out on the highway. I’m gonna go get them and bring them here. She said they had a lot of medical supplies with them.”
Hershel nods his head,
“Alright. Take the truck.”
Beth and Patricia come into the room, bringing with them a small bag of tools and medicine. Hershel asks me,
“Now, Miss Penny, Miss Patricia and my daughter are gonna have to cut the bottom half of your shirt off so I can see the wound better.”
I nod my head,
“Go on. I don’t mind.”
I go to take off my jacket, which Beth helps with. Jimmy leaves the room as this happens, shutting the door behind him, leaving just me, the Greenes, and Patricia in the room together. As Beth takes it from me, I see the back of the jacket is soaked in blood as well. I guess it went through. Dunno whether to celebrate or cry. Patricia takes a pair of scissors and cuts my shirt just under my ribs. I decide to make a quick joke to try and lighten the mood,
“Always wanted to try out a crop top.”
Beth smiles at this, and Patricia responds,
“This one’s free of charge!”
I nod my head and chuckle slightly, which causes pain to surge through my body starting at the gunshot. I clench my teeth as they peel the bottom half out of the gunshot. As the bottom half comes off, Hershel takes a look at the wound and immediately says,
“Alright, Beth, Patricia, help me stop her bleeding.”
As they start to place bandages on me, I slowly start to get more and more tired, no longer following with what they’re saying as I slowly begin to nod off.
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